Red Bull to quit F1, Renault to form own team?

The rumour mill is in overdrive at the moment, following the latest comments from both parties, over the under-performing engine supplied by Renault to Red Bull.

Renault considers quitting F1

Red Bull have already publicly stated their dissatisfaction with the Renault power unit and Renault have stated they are considering their options...which include pulling out of the sport, or even forming a new works team.

Renault is considering pulling out of F1 following criticism of its engines.

However, the French firm, which supplies engines to Red Bull and Toro Rosso, is also contemplating buying a team and becoming a constructor again.

"We are looking at a lot of options, including getting out of Formula 1 if it's bad for Renault's reputation," said the team's chief, Cyril Abiteboul.

However, the manufacturer has come in for criticism since Mercedes dominated the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on 15 March, with Red Bull finishing a lap down on winner and world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Abiteboul added: "We think we are a credible player in the sport but you need to think about what else we need to do on top of what we already are. But right now, the focus remains on the engine."

When asked about speculation that Renault could buy his team, Toro Rosso's team principal Franz Tost said it would be a "fantastic opportunity" for the Italy-based team.

"To be owned by a manufacturer would be exactly the step forward which the team needs," added Tost, who was sitting next to Abiteboul.

Abiteboul's comments at the Malaysian Grand Prix indicate growing tensions between Red Bull and Renault.

Red Bull chief Christian Horner insisted the relationship was "super" but, in the build up to the trip to Malaysia, Abiteboul accused the Milton Keynes-based team's designer Adrian Newey of lying after he blamed the car's problems on the engine.

There could be some real substance to this IMO...though exactly what the outcome would be is anyone's guess.

Renault are obviously not looking too clever right now and it might actually be in their short-term business interests to pull out until they can produce a competitive engine. I'm not sure there would be much point in buying out Toro Rosso or forming a new team until they get this fairly major issue sorted. Then again, at least they'd be left to work on their problems in peace, without Christian Horner bleating to the press at every opportunity.

However, if they did this it would leave Red Bull high and dry. Mercedes have said they won't supply engines to them. Ferrari would be unlikely to want to supply a team they now consider to be a close rival. There was talk a while back of Red Bull designing and building their own engines, before the switch to hybrid power plants. I think it would have been feasible back then, but to do it now would make a big hole, even in RB's famously deep pockets.

Unless they were able to secure a new engine supplier (not sure they'd want to ask Honda right now) they would be stranded. Additionally, as McLaren are finding out, bringing in a new engine supplier could still mean another season or two of poor performances.